'We'll never recover from this,' says father of stabbing suspect | Video | Live blog

Jason van Rassel, Calgary Herald04.18.2014

Doug de Grood, with his wife Susan de Grood at his side, reads a prepared statement expressing their grief for the families of the victims, Thursday at the office of the lawyer for their son Matthew. Matthew de Grood is the accused in the stabbing murders of five students earlier this week.Ted Rhodes
/ Calgary Herald

Doug de Groot, supported by his wife Susan, prepares to make a statement about his son Matthew, who is charged with killing five people at a house party.Meghan Potkins
/ Calgary Herald

Doug de Grood, with his wife Susan at his side, reads a prepared statement expressing their grief for the families of the victims, Thursday at the office of the lawyer for their son Matthew. Matthew de Grood is the accused in the stabbing murders of five students earlier this week. They are at the office of lawyer Allan Fay.Ted Rhodes
/ Calgary Herald

Related

Declaring their unconditional love for their son, the parents of the man accused of the worst mass slaying in Calgary’s history said they, too, are struggling to comprehend a crime that continues to confound investigators.

Matthew de Grood, 22, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings of Lawrence Hong, 27, Josh Hunter 23, Kaitlin Perras, 23, Zackariah Rathwell, 21 and Jordan Segura, 22, during a house party celebrating the last day of classes at the University of Calgary.

Speaking publicly Thursday for the first time since the slayings, de Grood’s parents extended their condolences to the families and friends of the victims of Tuesday’s killing spree.

"We are trying to make sense of what happened. We are deeply saddened for what the families and friends of the victims are going through. Your lives have been turned upside down. We know words cannot begin to ease your pain and suffering," said Doug de Grood, the father of Matthew de Grood.

Story continues below this liveblog with the latest from the team of Calgary Herald reporters and photographers covering the slayings and their impact.

The suspect’s mother, Susan de Grood, stood silently beside her husband as he read a statement meant to come from them both.

"We are one voice," said Doug de Grood.

Overcome by emotion and at times visibly struggling with tremors from an unspecified medical condition, de Grood said the accusations against their son have "shocked and devastated" them — but their love for him remains.

"Like any parent can tell you, a love for your child is unconditional, and we love Matthew dearly," he said.

The de Groods’ statement described Matt’s "bright future" as he prepared to enter law school at the University of Calgary this fall.

"Just like you, we struggle to understand what happened," said de Grood, breaking down.

Doug de Grood is a 33-year veteran of the Calgary Police Service who currently holds the rank of inspector, but stressed he was speaking "not as a police officer, but as a parent and as a husband."

However, the elder de Grood’s position on the police service has played a role in the case.

On Wednesday, Alberta Justice announced it has assigned the case to Crown prosecutors from Edmonton to avoid any perception of bias.

On Thursday, Calgary police faced questions about whether an outside agency should take over the homicide investigation.

Spokesman Kevin Brookwell said de Grood’s speedy arrest and charging him with the most serious crime in the criminal code — first-degree murder — are ample evidence the Calgary police homicide investigation is thorough and impartial.

"The cornerstone of our profession is to investigate matters like this without favour or bias," Brookwell said.

"We’re going to, as we do for every file ... investigate this to the infinite detail."

De Grood is being held in custody at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre pending an appearance in provincial court next Tuesday.

An Alberta Justice official said earlier this week de Grood will likely undergo a psychiatric assessment as the case moves forward in court.

Police, as well, reiterated de Grood’s state of mind is a key avenue of investigation.

"That’ll be a significant part of what we’re looking at," Brookwell said.

As many as 30 people attended the party at 11 Butler Cres. N.W., and it’s estimated 20 were in the house when the killings happened.

Brookwell said police are continuing to interview witnesses and that an explanation for why the crime happened and how five people were killed amid so many partygoers continues to elude investigators.

"We may not be able to ever answer that question," he said.

The party was a gathering mainly for U of C students celebrating Bermuda Shorts Day, a long-running tradition to mark the last day of classes.

Segura was in his third year of religious studies at U of C and was one of the tenants who rented the house that hosted the party.

Hunter was in his second year at the U of C’s Haskayne School of Business. He and Rathwell played together in a popular local band, Zackariah and the Prophets. Rathwell was in his first year at Alberta College of Art and Design.

Hong was a fourth-year urban studies major at U of C, transferring to the program from engineering in 2011.

Perras previously attended Mount Royal University, studying English last fall.

Prior to enrolling at U of C, Segura also went to MRU, which held a memorial for all five victims Thursday.

Perras’ former roommates, Anna Laycock and Margo Petroff, spoke of the instant bond they formed with Perras when they were assigned as roommates by MRU last school year.

"She was very family oriented," said Laycock, who relished their Friday evenings decompressing and watching goofy reality TV.

"She would ditch partying on a Saturday night to go to her dad’s house and watch movies. That’s the kind of girl she was."

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

'We'll never recover from this,' says father of stabbing suspect | Video | Live blog

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.